The Encampment

[Elenaphant]

They weren't brought in by vehicle; the compound was too remote for that. They had to be brought in by jet. Fellow inmates in orange, ranging in charges from trafficking to murder, were seated together. Another brought in the civilian volunteers who had been approved of the special ops. A special ship in orange, the T-ship, driven by Cyborg brought in the Titans. Every person was going to the same facility. It was a massive military base. When they landed, they were brought into the main building. For a select few of the inmates, it reminded them of the kind of maximum security they were used to; from one prison to another.

They weren't prisoners now. They were soldiers, made equal by circumstances. From now on, they lived and breathed the battle to come. People with little combat experience were going to be thrust into space, fighting aliens. It seemed crazy, and it reeked of desperation. Yet, when they were all gathered in an auditorium, and every wall lined with soldiers holding guns, the resolve of the Wall could only be thought as iron-clad. Despite the odds, they were going to win or they were all going to die; nothing in between. Nothing to be changed at this point but to prepare.

Her speech was brief, warning them that there was hard work ahead. She warned them that despite their differences, they had to learn to work together; any mischief or fighting would not be tolerated. She assured that those who followed her instructions would be safe, and those who tried to distract from the main goal would have that be their last act of defiance. In order to ensure that everything ran smoothly, she had designated a leader among them; a man who was no stranger to war, and would act in her place should for any reason her watchful eye be negligent. That man, of course, was Slade.

Coolly, he took over, and likewise kept his 'speech' brief. He was among the very few who had the privilege of wearing his full uniform. Everyone else would have to wait until training, with only the allowance of masks. Vigilante heroes confiscated their gadgets and uniforms. Around a hundred people seated wore grey jumpsuits with numbers stitched in. All he said was that he looked forward to seeing what each person was capable of, and had every intention of winning the war.

He addressed the Titans, citing his second in command, who may try to persuade others to hold fast to their morals, even to the failure of one of their own—but that he'd have to abandon that way of thinking. The selfish ambitions of criminals, the selfless motive of heroes, and the naive folly of everyone in between... it was his duty to stamp that all out. They were soldiers, who would have to kill, and would have to be prepared to die, for their planet. They would have to follow orders, and play their part, because strength and numbers against this foe they did not have.

Amanda Waller had held back; how unlike her, Slade had mused. He told them frankly. The problematic would be made fodder for the enemy; Slade would make sure of that. However, before him he saw potential, and he intended to win this war. So, enough talking. They were to get to work.

Let go, and taken to their bunkers, assigned by number, they had a moment to mingle in the common areas. Fortified cameras watched their every move, and statistics of their enemies were blown up on screens on the wall to remind them at every moment; as well as a schedule for how and when. Their 'free time' was even being counted down in white block numbers. They could only spare so much of it, after all. That was when more natural groups were forming. Cyborg sought out Robin and Starfire, beckoning his team behind him. He hadn't seen them since they've been arrested.

“They say you're to be the second in command, did you know about this?” he asked Robin. He wasn't wearing the grey uniform, seeing as how his whole body was armour, but Starfire was and she stood by their former leader's side.

She looked forlornly at Robin, answering for him in a sudden bout of boldness. Everyone knew that when it came to that nothing rattled Robin's nerves more. “We were told of what was to come, yes, and that he was to play the second leader. Mostly as a figurehead for us and the civilian volunteers. We did not know it was Slade who would be acting as.. the real leader,” Starfire said, and looked at the team. “Slade is the one who will be instructing us. Beyond this, we know as little as you, though Amanda said he will be working with him so that may change,” she concluded and looked to Robin carefully.

Then, she said something that could bring out fighting words within the group. “He is not wrong in what he said. All of us must fight with everything we have if we intend to save this planet.”

“It is nice to know I already have some support here,” Slade's voice came from behind, which caused Starfire and Cyborg to tense and round. He stepped around those who parted from him nervously, so casually approaching a group that hated him. “Come now, you're going to have to get used to seeing me, seeing as how you must answer to me just as anyone else.”

His eye fell on Robin. “You can stop glaring as if I devised this myself. Waller arranged that you be my second. I told her you didn't have what it took. I do however hold you responsible for your team and expect their obedience. Are you capable of that?”

[Silv]

Amanda Waller had told them how this was going to work. The Titans, the criminals, and an assortment of civilian volunteers were going to have to try to become the army they needed to defeat the Citadel. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. He didn't know that she'd left out a very important detail.

When Slade appeared by the woman orchestrating all of this Robin surged to his feet. He was reacting emotionally and thankfully he was tugged back down again to listen to their respective speeches. The Boy Wonder's mind whirled as the two people in charge of this ridiculous camp explained what would be happening. He wasn't going to kill. Even if this was war. He grit his teeth to stay silent, a flame of smoldering Robin rage sitting in the crowd until they were released to their bunks. Robin was used to bunking with large crowds of teenagers, and his time in prison had made villains a normalcy.

Luckily, they were given free time to regroup right after. It was his first real opportunity to find the Titans since that fateful day on the rooftop. As happy as Robin was to see his friends again the grim reality of the coming war and the fact that they all were now working for Slade made it impossible for him to relax. When Cyborg waved them over Robin headed over readily pulling from the gray masses with Starfire at his side. And then his friend had to go and mention that.

He and Starfire shared a glance, and she answered as he scowled on besides her. “We had no choice,” he finally admitted. The Boy Wonder opened his mouth to protest that Slade ever being right was a crazy idea. That would be, of course when Slade would decide to pop up behind them. Robin bristled at the intrusion, turning to glare at the familiar masked villain. The idea that he'd have to get used to seeing Slade made the Titan Leader feel sick to his stomach. If anything could make the apocalypse worse, it was Slade. Now, to have to report to him as a second in command, it was like a worse version of the last time he'd been forced to work with the man.

The Boy Wonder narrowed his masked eyes at Slade when the man said he didn't think Robin was capable of managing as his second in command. Pride caused the boy to scowl at the insult, even though he didn't want anything to do with the man or his “army” in the first place. The Titans were easily the best soldiers in this camp.

“My team and I will do our job,” Robin replied sharply. “If you have orders for them relay it through me.” He didn't want Slade anywhere near his friends even if they had to work under his command. At Batman's side Robin had seen the evil the world had to offer. He understood what sort of threat Slade was, even if he was deluded enough to think he could stop him single-handedly.

“Did you need something, or are you just here to gloat?” Robin asked their new leader.

[Kenni]

Missions, crowd-control, socializing, aiming to protect a city that no longer trusted him or his fellow Titans; it all wore on him, and there were days it all felt rapidly more useless with impending doom on the horizon.

When JCPD had gotten the Jump on his Jump friends, teammates, family, it had begun a terrifyingly listless three months of Harper's life. He hadn't even been able to watch the chopper take off again, much less utter a word of farewell. It wouldn't be forever, the authorities had to see reason, the Titans had to be together to help the city address the threat; so many excuses, but in the end none of it would sway the powers that were left, considering the Justice League's mysterious absence to return their friends to them immediately, and begging was too infantile when they need become infantry.


"..we missed you."
The ginger archer stood all at once, a lopsided smile rising above standard issue gray uniform collars. Corners upturned couldn't shield those of his lips at the sight of Robin and Starfire, and, edging around a slightly cross Cyborg and other teammates, he managed to shake off the deflated air of the past few months without them with simultaneously simple, careful, dual shoulder-squeezes.

Any sudden movements in a facility armed to the teeth at the corners, and monitored to their nosehairs, and he couldn't be sure how much of their friends would be left to welcome back.
Speedy risked a brief if not stiff embrace of the two all at once as well, then released in a more fluid motion with their momentary warmth an encouragement.

There was probably something terribly off about his concern for Star and Robbers spending a few months in jail outweighing that concerning their entire planet in peril in a few more months, but as the sights for sore eyes were picked out, making their way towards Speedy and some of the rest of Titans Tower's inhabitants, he felt completely justified in his choice.

Sure, these two could handle inmate animosity, and a little hard time. What was heartbreaking about it all was the public's reaction to them individually, and the Titans as a whole. Speedy hadn't been in Jump too frequently in recent times, frequenting instead his Steel streets for much the same reason as Batgirl's Gotham stint had been for; combating restless mobs and looters and the nervous energy running rampant through major cities since New Years. The response to the peacekeeping efforts by Titans East and other groups matched that of Jump. Some of the recruits here, gifted individuals on either or neither side of the law, average citizens in their own rights, couldn't be too happy being in the same 'army' as the Teen liars, murderers and oppressors--a small smattering of running nicknames young and old alike had adopted for the team during the year.

Slade's intrusion to the mini-reunion caused the air to feel even thinner than it was supposed to; the quality was probably
the madmanstermind's idea of space training. Or at least, a tongue-in-cheek crack of the whip to get them all thinking space training.

Could this vast, but still rather ragtag collection of Jump City be the first step in proving those names wrong?

But how, when in mere weeks, some of them would be fighting and, invariably, as Slade had so frankly dropped, slaying who knew how many alien invaders?

But this wasn't Number Crunchers.
This was war.

[Bry]

     Raven wasn't prepared for the rush of emotion that hit her in the chest upon seeing her leader again for the first time in three months. And that wasn't even counting the haphazardly milling emotions that her empathetic self picked up from the hundred or so teens around her in the facility. And to add to the moment, Starfire was there beside him. Star, who was as close as Raven would ever come to having a sister, one of her very best friends. And she and Robin were both standing right there.

     Yes, true, she'd still had half of her team with her. Beast Boy had really stepped up and Cyborg's leadership was without fault, but....

     It felt good to have all five of them together again. It felt right.

     The last three months had seen a very silent side of Raven. As opposed to the chatterbox she normally was. While the desire to stay in her room, quiet and dark and alone, had been great, Raven had opted for simply keeping quiet and sticking to the shadows of the group, rather than withdrawing entirely. Cyborg had needed the support and with Robin, Starfire, and even Speedy elsewhere, Rae was one of the last cornerstones for him to lean on.

     But those three months were over now. Robin was in front of her, Starfire was by his side, and Speedy was back from Steel, which warmed Raven's heart more than she'd like to admit. It would be foolish to say things were on the road to being as they were; that would likely take years, which assumed the battle-to-come tipped in earth's favour anyway. But the team was at least together, even just for the time being, and that was something to be grateful for, especially in the chaos of the facility and the coming war.

     Unfortunately once the team was reunited, the part of Raven that had been dedicated to concentrating on that problem was freed up to agonize over something else, with that "something else" in question being the near future and her role in it.

     Death. Whether hers, or her friends', or the aliens' above them, death was in the future. It left a bad taste in her mouth to think that she'd be expected to kill.... It was war, yes, but the Titans had always found a way around the permanent ending of lives in the past. Or-- Well, they had until Starfire's encounter on New Year's.

     But Raven wasn't Starfire. She'd have never thought killing was an option for the alien princess, but she was even more sure that it wasn't for herself. The last time an all-powerful entity had threatened her planet and left her standing in its defense, Raven hadn't taken the easier and likely more productive route. Killing would have solved the problem of Trigon back then too, and it would have been a singular death, much quieter, much cleaner, much easier than what waited ahead.

     But she'd have time for those thoughts later, or else she'd banish them altogether and deal in the aftermath. What was important now was the team, together, and the training that they'd go through and oversee. Raven waited for Starfire's and Robin's words, waited for Speedy's greetings, and then she stepped forward herself and placed a hand on her leader's shoulder.

     "It's good to see you," she said, and then fixed her glowing gaze on Starfire to include her wholly in the sentiment as well. A small slip of energy passed from Raven to Robin while her hand rested on his shoulder, a minute and rather unseen example of her healing powers as she sapped a small bit of anxiety from him into herself. It was the least she could do by way of greeting, considering now was not the time for her to suddenly become huggy. Then she stepped back into place, one hand nonchalantly finding Speedy's and holding it fast as an unspoken Nice to see you again, and turned her attention to Slade as he approached.

     That was the last issue plaguing her mind. Slade's leadership.

     Raven's next words were quiet, and whether Slade or anyone else even heard her in the midst of the crowds was questionable, but she said them nevertheless. "Supporting the cause should not be confused for supporting you."